A new royal start

themadvix

Very bizarre! 🤣

QueenJess

Incredibly tired today and struggling to think straight.  Bit of a write off for getting anything done really.  Thank goodness I've been keeping the house pretty tidy so I don't have to run around tidying before the cleaner tomorrow (although DS will need to tidy up his room...).  Popped out to the park after lunch for a while with the kids and a worthy £3 spent on the car park to feed ducks and distract everyone for a couple of hours.  Came back and had a hot chocolate to warm myself up.  Wasn't actually too cold for Jan and the park was really busy as a result.

Going to revisit my list of things to buy this evening and see if I can tick a few off the list.  Bought a lego man mould for under £3 on the bay of e to make lego man shaped chocolates for DS's birthday (and then ice cubes in the summer).  He will be absolutely delighted with those and I can mix them with the lego block ones I already have.  Found some activity books for DS that I will order later for the half term and may order a few more to cover more holidays with my free £25 book token - just need to pay postage for that.  Also probably need to buy as couple more boosters for DD's nappies at nighttime.  I have just enough as long as I dry them on the heated towel rails (since they are on when it is very cold), but really could do with some more. 

It occurred to me that it might be worth buying second hand plimsolls a size up for DS for when he goes up in size as people will be getting rid of things in Jan rather than buying and I'm hoping they'll be cheaper.  Looks like there are some for 99p plus postage, so tempted to get one or two sizes in already.  I keep watching second hand books for DD's birthday, but not yet inspired by anything as I think they are still expensive.

Will also try and earn a bit more on surveys later in front of the TV.  I think I need to save them for DD's bday present in March, kids shoes (DD will be walking soon!), food shops and new bedding.  Fortunately DS is nowhere near growing out of school uniform, but I'll have to save vouchers for that at some point.  I have started to cash out in vouchers where they take fewer points to do so, but still take cash where it is the cheapest option.  Hoping to get enough to spend very little on the other stuff I need to pick up.  Currently I have M&S vouchers to use on some food treats so DS is placated.  Will start cashing out for the other things I need.  At some point I will be able to venture out to charity shops, but they never seem to be that good around here and I don't want to spend a fortune parking in town just for that.  I'm sure I'll end up visiting my favourite restaurant as a treat in March (delayed birthday treats) and it's in a lovely area with lots of charity shops.  I have a long list I am collating for that in case they have anything in I want.

Lunch was sandwiches today so we could actually manage to leave the house.  Dinner is sweet potato and chickpea curry with some yellow sticker organic sweet pots I picked up (technically they are actually red stickers..) and some naan bread from the freezer.  DS won't eat that, so he's going to have beans on toast.  Pudding is more of the yogurt and compote (still have tons of compote!) and I have choc chip shortbread as a treat for later and DH has flapjacks (I don't usually get a look in with those!).

The freezer is slowly going down, although I can't quite fit my top basket back in yet.  Will need to venture out next week for milk, bread and DH’s birthday steak at some point.  DS has already eaten a whole box of cereal this month and is well into the next one!

themadvix

You’re so organised with thinking ahead to search in advance for the bargains you need! 

QueenJess

themadvix said:

You’re so organised with thinking ahead to search in advance for the bargains you need! 

I’m trying really hard to be at the moment, but it doesn’t always work out. I’m sure I’ll forget something!

themadvix

Well that sounds more human 🤣 But it's really good that you do this - it does make a difference both financially and environmentally when you're organised enough to start looking early. I have moments like you and then forget something much nearer that needs sorting!

QueenJess

I can’t remember anything for more than a couple of minutes at the moment, so as soon as I remember anything I put it on a list on my phone. It’s particularly valuable when trying to organise birthday presents etc.

themadvix

Same here - whether it's lack of sleep for me too, I don't know. But if it's not written down, I don't remember it. My sister asked what I wanted for my birthday and I knew there were things, but could I remember any of them? When I did remember, I had to drop everything and go and send her a message straight away, otherwise it would have gone out of my head again.

QueenJess

Not much achieved today, it just seems a never ending cycle of getting DD to sleep, feeding and changing her! She’s being naughty and not sleeping right now, so taking her to pick up DS in about an hour is not going to be fun…

DD is also being a pain at night. She naughtily wakes up and really wants cuddles, but pretends she wants milk. After the 4th time I was on to her and got her to stay in her cot and sleep. Naughty baby. It’s hard to think straight and definitely know what she wants when you are tired and only been awake for a couple of seconds…

My boxes arrived today to pack some of DD’s clothes to grow into from DS into the big cupboard. Not doing that today though as I need to decide what I think will and won’t squeeze in there and I am failing to make any decisions when I’m tired. I did remember to contact the broadband people to get them to apply the credit I got for having a dodgy phone line. Means no charge until April now 😊. Also cancelled the toilet roll/tissue/kitchen towel delivery - it’s coming next month instead as we still have plenty.

Last night was quite fruitful. Ordered DS’s activity books and turned out you can use the vouchers against the delivery cost too, so they were all free! Also ordered some cake toppers for DS’s and DD’s birthdays since they last for ages. Means I can make my own cake and then just put a nice picture on top and job done. Cost under £5.

Lunch today was cream cheese and smoked salmon bagels. Dinners are being arranged to use up the last bits of veg before my new box arrives on Thursday. So tonight is a chicken thigh casserole in a mustard sauce with pots, cabbage and peas. I chucked it in the slow cooker and so thankfully I just have to throw the veg in later and then chuck it onto plates. Need a lie down already! Pudding is still compote and yogurt until I get complaints. Still a fair amount of compote left…

DD is finally asleep now I’ve been studiously ignoring her and she’s got the message. I’ll have to get her up in 30 mins to go and get DS though, which is annoying. As the dinner is on and the washing is being thrown around the washing machine, I’m going to lie down for half an hour and watch a bit more of Around the World in 80 days. We still have so much recorded on the box and need to get through it!

QueenJess

What an awful night.  I was already tired last night and one of my eyes is red and sore because of it.  Now they both really hurt.  DD woke up every 40-50 mins last night and drove me completely insane.  I am now going to set her a schedule of when she can have milk in the night as she pretends she wants it (when she doesn't) so she can have a cuddle back to sleep and then after a bit wakes up and the cycle starts again.  She goes to sleep on her own for naps and at night, so there is no reason she can't go back to sleep on her own.  I was in tears this morning as I feel so awful and I am just time wasting now until I can go to sleep tonight.

Popped out to the shops as we needed bananas and milk and came back with quite a bit more than that.  Oops.  Can't cope when I'm tired.  I did get some lovely looking 15p packs of crumpets for the freezer though!  It is all stuff that will be used and nothing will go to waste.  Every meal is now being planned based on the next thing that needs using up in the fridge and I desperately need some freezer space still.  Hopefully it'll be cheap for the next few weeks whilst we work through it.

Lunch today was mozzarella, tomato and pesto toasties with salad (mozzarella needs using before the end of the week and I have 2 packs!).  Dinner is veggie sausages, mash (pots and swede), peas and onion gravy (made in advance from the freezer).  I have dissenters for puddings now, so the compote is being used up in my morning porridge and we have fruit, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate brownies, flapjacks and orange muffins all ready to be used in the freezer instead (except the yogurt, which is in the fridge and I inexplicably seem to have 3.5 large pots of it).

Managed to get one load of washing on today and the nappies are drying upstairs.  Nothing else will be achieved.

themadvix

Sorry to hear you've had a really bad night. It must be so frustrating (when you have the energy to be frustrated). Be kind to yourself - what you've achieved is enough, as you say.

Your meals always sound yummy! (Love the comment about dissenters though!)